


Passport Guardian Angel

by Allisenpai



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR but The AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Character Death (temporary), Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not A Game AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, basically any tws that come with the original series come with this fic, he/they benrey, if I miss any tws please lemme know sorry, never used ao3, nothing gets scarier than cannon for the most part don't worry, portal and half-life lore get ready, post-cannon, sfw don't worry, story-focused but in a gay way, they/he bubby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29986776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allisenpai/pseuds/Allisenpai
Summary: Our heroes find themselves in the far-off distant lands of a New Mexico Chuck E. Cheese, after surviving the hell that was Black Mesa, as well as the fight that our protagonist, Gordon Freeman, refuses to think about for absolutely rational reasons.Trauma in tow, Gordon must now survive the horrors that are ‘being at a social event while tired’.Pizza will be eaten, candles will be blown out, and birthdays will be partied.However, it’s not all fun and games, as shit hits the fan when Mr. Coolatta informs our protagonist what his future has in store.-Will our heroes get food poisoning? Will the pizza even be good? Will Gordon fucking snap?-Stay tuned and find out, dear reader, as our story begins( or rather, continues).
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Everyone & Everyone, Tommy Coolatta/Darnold
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Dear Lady, don’t crush my heart with pains and sorrows.

\---

Tommy’s birthday definitely wasn’t where Gordon thought he would end up once he was out of Black Mesa, but here he was, surrounded by friends with a slice of pizza on a paper plate, bad pop music blaring over the speakers of the restaurant.   
Chuck E Cheese was still definitely a restaurant, he assured himself.

Dusty sunlight from the setting sun poured through the dirty windows, casting dramatic shadows over the whole scene.

Natural sunlight. Not fluorescent.

Gordon had to keep reminding himself he was out.

He was, more than anything, exhausted. He couldn’t sleep, partially due to the aftershock of everything they’d been through, but also because Mr. Coolatta’s threat of an unwinnable battle still rang in his mind. With or without the HEV suit, everyone in this room could kill him. That being said, they were the closest things to friends he’d had in a long time, and beggars can’t be choosers. 

Sleep would be really nice, though. A nice post-pizza nap.

The party was a nice distraction from everything he’d just gone through, even if every loud noise or sudden movement caused him to jump. Thanks to some sort of trademark Mr. Coolatta magic, not only were he and the rest of the scientist free from the dirt and blood that had caked their skin hours earlier, he was free from the HEV suit as well, in the clothes he had left in his locker for after the test.   
He was still covered in bruises and scars, including where his arm had been reattached, but a shower was no longer on top of his priority list, at least. 

He thought back to his locker, to the picture of Josh.   
His son.

Gordon glanced up across the table. A cake had appeared in front of Tommy, covered in what Gordon assumed to be 37 candles. Bubby snapped his fingers, and all the candles lit simultaneously. “Gentlemen,” Dr. Coomer announced cheerfully. “It’s time to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song!” Gordon tried to suppress a groan. How old did they think he was, 10?

As Tommy blew out his candles (after making a wish, of course), Gordon glanced at Mr. Coolatta, who was… was he staring at him?   
Mr. Coolatta was glaring daggers in his direction, but it seemed to be directed at the wall behind him more than anything. Gordon glanced behind him, and then turned back to Mr. Coolatta, who was looking down at Tommy with as much of a smile as the man’s placid face could muster.   
Gordon shrugged the moment off, too tired to question it. 

He hadn’t slept in a bed in… he had no idea.   
Felt like years, but he knew that wasn’t true. Cake was almost as good as sleep, though, and the pizza was a nice break from the soda and snacks he’d survived on.

He just wanted to go home.

\---

As the party wound to a close, typical Science Team shenanigans ensuing, Gordon felt himself growing more and more tired. The adrenaline from fighting for his life was finally wearing off. Despite being the youngest one there, no one else seemed tired besides him. He tried to seem more awake than he was, for Tommy’s sake. 

Speaking of the others, he couldn't help but feel a little left out. Bubby and Coomer bantered back and forth, while Tommy excitedly told his dad about everything that had happened, Sunkist ever-diligently by his side.   
Gordon sat silently, free of anyone bothering him for the first time in weeks.

Back at Black Mesa, he hadn’t had a moment of peace, thanks to…   
...Mmn. Nope.

There was an unspoken agreement in his mind to avoid that specific topic, solely out of the fear of working though all those emotions. 

He was too tired right now to do it, he told himself. Deal with that later. Don’t think about it. Yeah.

He knew his therapist would’ve called him up for resorting to his usual unhealthy coping mechanism of avoidance, but Gordon was too tired to care.   
She probably thought he was dead, anyways. However many weeks off the grid would do that for a person.

“ATTENTION-ALL-PEOPLE. GO-HOME. PLEASE,” a robotic text-to-speech voice boomed over the speakers as Gordon flinched.

“Aw, why do- do we have to?” Tommy called out sadly.  
There was a pause. 

“YES.”

\---

As he stepped out into the Chuck E Cheese parking lot, following the Science Team, Gordon glanced to his side, to find Mr. Coolatta standing there. Hadn’t he been next to Tommy just a moment ago? The physicist didn’t linger too long on it. He knew Mr. Coolatta, just like the rest of the Science Team (minus himself), probably wasn’t human. 

That much was made clear during the fight.

“Mr. Freeman, I hope, you... enjoyed the party, although it may have been rather... anticlimactic after, what you and your, friends just survived. That, being said, may I…have a moment, of your… time?”   
Gordon nodded, although it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.  
“I regret to… inform you, but… your lives are, still in danger.” 

He froze, feeling his stomach drop a little.   
Of course. Of course they weren’t safe. Why had he expected anything else?  
At least Mr. Coolattas slower speaking gave Gordon more time to process.

“Just, a moment.” The physicist glanced over to wherever Mr. Coolatta was looking, and blinked. 

There had been something there just a second ago, at least, he thought so.   
He was seeing stuff again, his brain half-joked.

Gordon looked back over at Mr. Coolatta, to see him picking his suitcase back up.   
When had he set it down?   
Mr. Coolatta, like everyone the man had encountered in the last few days, was an enigma. 

“Why… What do you mean, danger? I thought we were in the clear?” Gordon mumbled, although he knew part of his brain hadn’t let him shake the feeling he still had reason to worry.   
It had been right.

“You see, Mr... Freeman... some people are very, displeased, about your... take-down of, the military... It will take a lot of... string-pulling to get your, names clear. I cannot, close... my report, until every loose end, has been... tied up.”

Gordon nodded, wincing.   
He had a lot of blood on his hands, innocent or not.

“We... won't have much longer, before our... eavesdropper... comes, back, so you... will need to travel, fast. We have decided to...convey you, to somewhere, where you... can do no possible harm, and where... no harm, can come to you. Do you... remember, the lakehouse, from your... childhood?”

Gordon nodded, pulse slightly accelerating.  
He hadn’t thought about that place in years. It was a house somewhere up in Colorado that he and his family had often visited, with a handful of rooms that they could share.   
He didn’t remember much else at the moment, though. His thoughts were racing too fast.

“I think I understand what you’re saying, but you’re kind of… asking a lot here. You just want us to uproot our whole lives? How did you even know about it? I never-”  
Gordon felt his anger rising, but Mr. Coolatta held up a hand.   
Despite the danger of retaliation, Gordon didn’t break eye contact with the man in the suit.

“...Is this the only option we have?”  
“Yes.”  
He swallowed, nodding and looking down. 

He hadn’t chosen any of this. He didn’t have any fucking control in his fate.

“Please understand, Dr. Freeman... I believe, no one is more deserving of a rest, than you. You've... proven yourself, to be of extraordinary, value. However, there’s, no more time. The... keys are with... Professor Bubby, as he is, the best... with cars.”   
Gordon blinked. There definitely hadn’t been a car there before, but lo and behold, a black minivan sat neatly parked near the center of the lot.   
Bubby was already sprinting towards it, whooping wildly, small fires in their wake.

“Tommy... has already, informed them, of what, is... happening. Before you depart, however, there's... one... more thing, we must... discuss. I’m, sure you wonder why, despite... his age, I still play, a larger role, in... Tommy's, life than other parents my, age might.”   
The physicist nodded, slowly. He had, briefly, but he had learned not to question most things as of late. 

“Tommy is special, in the same way the rest of the science team is special. Besides you, of course.”   
Jesus, man. He already knew that, but there was no need to be so harsh about it.

Gordon knew Tommy had some sort of connection to Sunkist, and anyone who survived solely off of soda was clearly not entirely human.  
That's what he was referring to, right?

“I must, ensure... that, people, do not find out about their, powers. If anyone, were to see, for instance, a man set themself, on fire… the irresistible... human temptation of, telling all, would surely alert the... military, to your whereabouts. The importance of... discretion, Dr. Freeman. I’m sure you... understand. You must, ensure that you stay under, the radar, for your... sake... and theirs. ”

Gordon swallowed at the man in the suit’s vaguely threatening words. 

That would be hard to do.

“And, Mr... Freeman... please, know I’m, doing... this for my, progeny. He, cares... for you deeply, but, then again, he... cared deeply for that, entity, as well. Ben-rey.”

The name that Gordon had so desperately been trying to avoid thinking about, to keep out of his mind.   
He didn’t have time to dwell on that.   
He didn’t want to, either. He couldn’t.

Did Mr. Coolatta blame him for letting Benrey hang around his son? Despite his lack of emotions, Gordon always felt he was being judged by the tall man in the suit.

“I do, apologize, for... what must seem, to you, an arbitrary imposition, Dr. Freeman. Just, try to remember, I’m, on your side. That's all... for now. I will... see, you up ahead. I have a train to catch.”

With that, Mr. Coolatta seemingly dissolved in a swirl, leaving the disgruntled scientist to sprint after the rest of the party, trying to ignore the fact that his entire life had been derailed.


	2. Sleep that falls from bright shaking leaves.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving the party with stomachs full of cake and hearts full of dread, our heroes begin the long, periled journey of sitting in the car for five hours. Their destination: the fabled ‘Lake House’.  
> Time slips away, and the vague threat from the man in the suit pushes them forward as our protagonist, Gordon Freeman, leaves his regular, boring old life behind.  
> As the Science Team drives away from Mr. Coolatta, Sunkist, and the restaurant/entertainment establishment in their metal chariot, Gordon slips into a much needed sleep. However, dear reader, what awaits him on the other side of slumber may be less than pleasant.  
> -  
> What is Mr. Coolatta so worried about? Will Gordon actually be able to sleep well with the Science Team in the same car? Why is Tommy the only one with a phone?  
> -  
> None of these questions and more will be answered, as our story continues.  
> -  
> TWs: Nightmare, death (not graphic very brief and also not real), (brief) drowning (nothing bad before "slipped into unconsciousness", skip to the end)

As Gordon half-jogged to the car, quickly losing his breath, a yellow blur flew past him, tail wagging just as fast.

“Sunkist, you- Stop! You can’t fit in here!” Bubby cried out, more surprised than angry, as the biggest dog Gordon had ever met tried to cram herself into the driver's seat, to no avail.  
There was no way Sunkist was going to fit, and Gordons heart sank.  
Were they going to have to leave her behind? Just petting her was enough to calm him down. Having her with them would be a big help.

Tommy looks up from his phone, noticing the worried look on Gordons face.  
“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Freeman! Sunkist can- she’ll meet us there! She’s the perfect dog!” 

He sighed, giving the older man a tired smile. Despite everything that’d happened, the taller man was always a grounding force, offering support when the physicist needed it.  
He was also the only one on the Science Team that hadn’t tried to kill him yet.

Gordon nodded putting his hands in his pockets as he turned to glance at the sun.  
It was nearly set. 

“...Shit.”

They needed to get going soon. Whatever had worried Mr. Coolatta couldn’t be good.  
Anything that made him scared probably wasn’t something Gordon wanted anywhere near him or his friends.

As he was about to climb into the seat behind the driver’s, Coomer having already (violently) claimed shotgun, he glanced over at Tommy, who was talking to Sunkist. Maybe he was saying goodbye, or giving her directions, or something. 

Gordon quickly forgot about it though, as being in a car reminded him of driving with the Science Team. 

With Benrey, his arm slung over Gordons shoulder, yelling “ROADTRIP! ROAAADTRIP!” 

“Okay, gentlemen, we’re off! Tommy, hand over your cellular device so that we can use the ‘gee pee ess’!” Coomer exclaimed, cutting Gordon’s spiral short.  
He and Bubby began to chatter excitedly, as Gordon stared out the window. At least sitting in a car wouldn’t be anywhere near as hard as traversing Black Mesa.

\---

Gordon blinked, someone calling his name bringing him back to the realm of the living. How long had he zoned out for? 

“Gor- Jesus Christ, what the hell is your problem? Are you not hearing me?” Bubby barked.  
“...What?”

“God, you sound like-”  
Coomer shot him a look Gordon couldn’t quite read.  
Bubby sighed, and lowered their voice a little. “We have the address, but where are we even going? None of us have been there besides you,” the scientist huffed, looking at Gordon through his thick glasses in the mirror, muttering something about how it better be nice.

Gordon sat up, nodding. Trying to piece the situation together had completely slipped his mind. 

“It’s, well, I haven’t been there since I was nine or ten, but I know it’s somewhere up in Colorado, on the edge of san… san something forest.”  
“No shit. Gordon, I already said we know where it is. San Juan forest, five hours away.”

Gordon scrunched his face in frustration. He was too tired for this.

“Mr. Freeman, what does it- how does it look? Will Sunkist have plenty of room to run around?”  
Gordon smiled a little despite everything.  
“There’s plenty of space for, like three or four Sunkists. I remember you could see a few mountains if you got high enough to look over all the trees. There’s a creek, and there were a bunch of mushrooms and plants and stuff, and…”

There was something about the lake he couldn’t remember.  
It’s a lake house. That's like, the main part, right?  
He could at least piece together the parts he could, and maybe he’d remember more later.

“The lake was really nice. I think there was at least one other family there, or something, but I might be mixing that up with something else.”  
Bubby’s eyebrows raised. “Gordon, if there are other people nearby, we won’t be hidden.”  
He hated when Bubby was right, although with him being the ‘ultimate scientist’, he usually was.

“Don’t worry Prof- Dr. Bubby! My dad made sure we’d be okay!”

Before Gordon could continue, Dr. Coomer turned around to excitedly show Tommy and Gordon in the backseat something on the GPS map.  
“Look here, Gordon! There's a place called ‘Buck Mesa’!”  
“It can’t be any worse than Black Mesa,” Bubby commented, with a half-grin showing their spiked teeth.  
“Excellent observation, Professor Bubby!”  
“Doctor.”  
“Professor.”

Gordon shook his head, giving a knowing look to Tommy before leaning against the window. They weren’t going to stop anytime soon. The two were constantly bickering like an old married couple, in an endearing way. 

As the sun slipped under the horizon, illuminating the sky in an orangish-pink and blue gradient, it kinda reminded him of sweet voice, and his mind couldn’t help but wonder to Benrey, despite his best efforts. 

At least Gordon could sleep a little better without Benrey bothering him, he thought, guiltily.

As his eyes fluttered closed, he stopped fighting his drowsiness and slipped into unconsciousness. 

\---

Gordon’s dreams were always really fuckin’ weird. 

Normally he’d avoid sleep just to avoid dreams, because when they weren’t nightmares, they were just sad.  
Nothing bad happened in them, but that was the problem. False hope, or something. Things being better than they currently were. People that were dead being alive. That stuff.  
He never really remembered them these days, anyways, just woke up sweaty and scared.

He dreamt he was at the lake house, everything the size he remembered it being when he was in fourth grade. 200… 2? 3? One of those years.

He often found himself dreaming of their last visit here. It was one of the last few memories he had with his whole family together, before their divorce, before his mom passed away.  
He sat with his feet barely touching the water, hanging over the edge of the dock. The water lazily lapped against the rocky shore, accompanied by leaves and bits of algae.  
He glanced back to the cabin, to see his mom cooking through the window.  
It was Thanksgiving break, and the few trees that weren’t evergreen were a vibrant orange and red. Smoke poured from the chimney from the burning wood cut by his dad.

He glanced back to the lake, leaning over to look in the water. As a kid, he’d been terrified of what might be in the murky water, barely able to see his feet if the water came up to his waist. There are sharks in there, he’d told himself. Mom said there aren’t, but there are.

Something was floating in the water, and Gordon felt himself get excited. Sometimes, something weird would wash up, like an old CD, or a new stick for him to add to his “sword” collection.

He waded in a little, just to get a closer look.  
Then he jumped back.

The corpse of a headcrab. 

He glanced to see a few scientists and a security guard floating face-down nearby, and he felt the anxiety he’d carried with himself throughout Black Mesa creep back.  
As the sky and water darkened, he stumbled backwards and tripped, the scrape of the HEV suit against the rocks accompanying his impact. 

This was wrong. It was a familiar sight, sure, one he’d managed to tune out while trying to escape, but it wasn’t supposed to be here. He’d won, he’d made it out, he-

A skeletal hand grabbed his ankle. Just a hand and an arm. Nothing more.

Gordon was dragged into the water, clawing his fingers into the ground as he screamed for his mom, for anyone to hear him.

His head went under the water, and there was nothing. A void.  
He was drowning. He couldn’t breathe, or hear or see or feel anything. All he could hear were the distant cries of a baby.  
The void was literally suffocating. He opened his mouth to scream, and choked on nothing.

He was dying.

Then, an arm, with skin this time, reached out and grabbed his arm, ripping him out of whatever reality he was currently in, and everything dissolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR:  
> Sunkist is too big to fit in the car :(, but she'll get there on her own, according to Tommy.  
> Everyone clamors into the car, where Gordon explains they're going to San Juan Forest, in Colorado, five hours away. Gordon assures everyone the lake house will be nice before drifting off to sleep.  
> In his dream, he finds himself at the lake house as a child, but as the dream turns into a nightmare, the scene is intermixed with the familiar carnage of Black Mesa. He's then dragged into the lake by skeletal hands, before being torn out of the water and the dream by a stranger's arm.
> 
> \--
> 
> I've never been to Colorado, just a head up. Thought ab writing it taking place in Texas since I could actually write from real-life experience but Wayne moved here recently so that'd be kinda weird.
> 
> Basing the lake house off of my grandparent's house (not a lake house but the same vibe). Also I had a collection of sticks as a kid. San Juan Forest (and buck mesa) are real places.
> 
> Also forgot to mention if you think it's a reference it probably is. Or if it isn't on purpose I'll just pretend it is. I did way too much research for this fic that's a really sad sentence to write oh god
> 
> Also also, for every chapter, not just this one, there'll be a handful for foreshadow moments, obvious or not, so pay attention :)
> 
> anyways, thanks again for your time


	3. Death is an evil. That’s what the gods think. Or they would die.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We must inform you, dear reader, that the story must take a brief departure, as we view the story from a slightly different perspective.  
> -  
> Someone has woken up, and they aren't happy.  
> -  
> TWs: body horror, death (kinda, you'll realize why in a sec)

The endless expanse of alternating purple and black squares, as usual, was an unwelcomed sight.  
One that came with all the hassles of dying. 

Well, not ACTUALLY dying, just… close. Like a game-over screen. Load from last save.

Benrey, of course, couldn’t die, even if he’d kinda expected to, if he was being honest.  
They were sure there was some way they could technically die, but every time they were shot, or burned, or ripped apart, their body reconstructed itself. Limbs pulled back together, bones unshattered, blood re-circulated.  
If the damage was great enough, as it was in this case, his physical form would reform while he ended up here.  
Wherever here was.

Honestly, they were surprised they didn't die. They knew they could, somehow. They knew for sure.  
However, everything that had just happened had been unexplored territory for him. They’d never pushed their form that far before, especially while being attacked.

Right. The fight.

The void, despite being vast and untouchable, seemed to close in on him, and if they’d had a chest at the moment, it would’ve tightened.

His skeletal hands clawed at his head as he pulled his knees to his chest, filling the silent void with the quiet squeaking of bone on bone, cartilage on cartilage.  
He hadn’t formed the tear ducts to cry or the vocal cords to scream, but maybe that was for the best. 

Emotions were what had gotten them here in the first place.  
Benrey could feel their form being pulled back, back to the science team. The science team that hated their guts, wanted them dead. All because of how much he’d messed up.  
The sound of laughter came through, his old friends celebrating his absence.  
Their victory. His loss.  
He’d lost everything; Friends, home, future. Hope.

Everything was fine before Gordon.

Working at Black Mesa was the closest thing to a normal life Benrey had since… He shook his head, willing himself not to remember. Don’t look back. Not looking back.  
Another thing Gordon messed up for them.  
And he didn’t even recognize Benrey.

Every time they let themself care about people, they end up hurting him. 

Maybe Tommy wouldn’t hate him if Gordon had never shown up. 

He’s not even here, and he’s STILL messing with Benrey’s head. He’s not supposed to get mad, or sad, or…  
Gordon’s tired voice rang out loud and clear through the endless void, as Benrey felt a twisting in his pseudo-gut. 

He was a blinding source of light, a sun with an inescapable, cosmic gravitational pull.

He wanted to scream at whatever force was drawing him back to the science team to stop. They didn’t want him there anymore. 

There was no more protecting needed, his job was done. Danger averted.  
He didn’t want to do his job anymore, he quit.  
He should’ve been fired at this point, if anything.

If they never had to see Gordon again, they would be more than happy.  
They didn’t mean that. Calm down.  
...Did they, though?  
Benrey, still on edge from the fight, clamored to his feet quickly, deep in thought, eyes focused on nothing. Not that there was anything to focus on.

If Gordon was dead…  
Stop that. Remember the arm thing? Getting him almost killed on accident had been hard enough. This is a stupid idea. Stop thinking about the arm.

...it made a lot of sense, though. Gordon was the root, the source. 

Killing him would be a little far thought, right? A little extreme?  
His skeletal form let forth a small burst of sweet voice, and he watched the sweet-smelling bubbles rise and disappear into nothing.

But Benrey could literally bend reality to their will. They were equal to the gods. They were deathless.  
Gordon was a fleeting spec of dust, insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. Just a human. All he was good for was causing problems. 

All positive thoughts or feelings he’d ever felt for the man were pushed to the back of his mind.  
It would fix literally everything.  
Well, obviously, Tommy and co would still hate him, but that was Gordon’s fault, too.  
Could he even kill Gordon? Was that allowed? Would someone or something step in?

If Benrey was the closest thing to divine intervention this place would ever see, was there anything that would stop him?

Benrey hated themself for even thinking about this stuff. It made them want to scream. Stop feeling this stuff.  
Gordon made them like this. Made them feel things.  
He didn’t mean to, though. Right? That had to be right. Was it right?

Didn’t matter. Doesn’t matter. Eyes forward.

They had to. They had to do this.  
If Gordon was gonna make him feel cringe-ass emotions, he may as well latch onto those feelings and use them to his advantage. Fuel. All this guilt he felt would go away. Everything would go back to before it changed. Everything would be fixed.  
Benrey just had to do one hard thing.

His internal argument finally resolved, Benrey launched his skeletal form through the void, allowing himself to be pulled back towards the science team.  
A smile on their immortal face.

\---

Benrey’s skeletal form materialized in the parking lot of a restaurant they'd never been to before.  
They hadn't done a lot of human things, though.

As he lazily drifted through the air and the wall, he made sure to avoid Gordon's line of sight, settling down on top of a table a few feet behind his seat. Benrey wasn’t sure how or why Gordon could always see their skeleton, even when they were invisible to everyone else, but they’d never bothered to ask.  
He glanced over Gordon's shoulder, at Tommy's cake. At least if they weren't friends, he didn't have to get him anything for his birthday.  
A bitter thought, but whatever. Not important right now.

Gordon was right in front of him, and Benrey could reach out and grab his shoulders or kill him or whatever if he wanted, but he didn't want to ruin Tommy's birthday party.  
He wasn't putting it off.

Benrey realized they had zoned out looking in Tommy and Mr. Coolattas general direction, and Mr. Coolatta was staring right back, with ice-cold blue eyes, sending a chill though their bones.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR:  
> Benrey wakes up (shocker)  
> He's like wahh they killed me, then eventually deduces that Gordon's the root of all of his problems, so he sets out to kill Gordon.  
> As he enters the chunkie cheese as a skeleton, he debates killing the physicist now or doing it later, until he realizes G-Man can see his skeletal form.
> 
> \--
> 
> Benrey can have his own POV chapters as a treat.
> 
> Not much to say about this chapter, other than if you haven't ever played a valve game/gmod, purple-black checkers are the textures the games use when a texture is missing, so basically if your game messes up its gonna look like a tumblr blog from 2012. It's real life not a game, but I just thought a no-texture void would be neat and fun to draw
> 
> as always thanks for your timee :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I decided to finally work up the courage to post my silly little story.
> 
> This is the biggest project I've ever done for any series, and I've been working on this since before December. It's gonna be a long story, get ready. I'm pretty proud of it, but I've also never written/posted a fic before, so bear with me.
> 
> More than anything, this is a big love letter to HLVRAI and the creators. Thanks for everything.
> 
> I'll put tws in chapter summaries, and TL;DRs at the end of every chapter, but once again if anything in the series made you uncomfortable (besides the dickslip bit) this fic may not be for you. That being said, this fic will be sfw, and if you create/consume NSFW content for HLVRAI, I'd prefer you not read this.
> 
> I'm not on social media much, but my hlvrai tumblr is gordon-feetman-funny-moments, I post art and other various projects there
> 
> Also, in case it's hard to pick up on, --- indicates a time skip and --------- indicates a perspective shift. Also also, all chapter titles are from the poems of Sappho of Lesbos circa 600 BCE.
> 
> The first fic I only read, and the only one I read for years, was Blue Sky for Portal 2, and I guess I kinda wanted to do something similar, even if that might be too big of a goal in terms of just how good Blue Sky was. Mostly, I just wanted to make rewatching HLVRAI a little more fun, at least for myself, and hopefully other people, since I'm pulling interpretations from a lot of really brief moments that I wanted to expand on. I don't know if that's something I'm gonna be able to achieve, but I can hope at least
> 
> I'm gonna try and post 2-3 chapters every Sunday by 9, so feel free to tune in around then B)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the rest of the fic, and thank you for your Time.


End file.
